Afterlife
by Lady Cynic
Summary: Because sometimes only the feel of your partners skin can remind you that you're alive when everything around you keeps dying. Drabbles centered around Leo and Nico through their lives. Established Leo/Nico (Lico-I chose for you fandom; you're welcome). Because there aren't enough on this site. Now a multishot; WIP; slash/yaoi; m-preg; post MoA; slight AU if you squint.
1. Comfort the Child

**Afterlife **By: Lady-Chan101

**Summary:** Because sometimes only the feel of your partners skin can remind you that you're alive when everything around you keeps dying.

**A/N:** Established Lico AKA Leo/Nico one-shot. Because there wasn't enough

**Disclaimer: Nah man, I don't own anything but the idea and maybe the semblance of a plot.**

**Warning: Itty bitty, teeny tiny angst, GAY, sex, GAY SEX, technical underage sex, did I mention GAY! Slight AU if you squint.**

_**Language Key:**_

English [pretty obvious, no?]

_Spanish _[anywhere, translations will be provided in my A/N's]

'_Thoughts' _[in English]

'Thoughts in Spanish' [same as above]

On with the story:

**EDIT: Now a multishot. It'll be under complete but that's a lie, so follow if you want any updates.**

**Afterlife**

Leo sat on his bed in his room on the Argo II, sulking silently. Festus was on autopilot because right now, he was NOT in the mood for any human interaction. Partly was because he was angry at everyone, but he was mainly angry at himself. He just couldn't believe that they had gone all this way, came so far, and now they lost Percy and Annabeth. He should've done something. He should've made Festus reach an extendable claw or maybe moved the Argo close enough to pull them up. The rational part of his brain told him it would've been impossible, that Tartarus would've dragged them all down there. Besides, how would they defeat Gaea if they were all stuck in the Underworld? But his emotional part of his brain, the one that was currently taking shotgun, told his rational side to fuck off. Hugging his knees, he forced himself to smile, to be happy. Because Leo Valdez was a happy go lucky guy who never showed his pain, despite how much he wanted to cry. Because Leo Valdez wasn't allowed to cry.

~L/N~

Nico entered the room when he had the chance to slip away from Hazel, who insisted on fussing over him and feeding him till he burst. He quietly turned the doorknob, effectively closing the door without alarming Leo of his presence. Leo, for his part, was staring into his lap, hands fisted into his hair. Nico padded towards the Hispanic boy and tugged on his sleeve. Leo looked up, slightly confused.

"Nico, what is it?" Leo murmured softly, looking anywhere but him, not wanting him to see his red eyes. Nico just climbed on top of him so that he was straddling him. With his pale, gaunt fingers, Nico forced Leo's face to look up at him. He searched his face for a long pause before nodding at whatever he saw.

Pushing his face close so that their breaths mingled, Nico finally spoke up.

"It's not your fault you know." Leo blinked.

"What're you talking about?" he said nonchalantly-or at least tried to. Nico threaded his left hand into his right one.

"Everything and anything. You know what I mean." Nico brought Leo's hand to his face where he kissed it gently and letting him cup his cheek. Leo took a shuddering breath.

"Can I kiss you?" Nico smiled lightly.

"You already know the answer; why ask?"

"Because you're 13 and I don't want to force you to do something you don't want." Nico smiled a bit broader. Leo was too good to him. Sometimes it didn't feel real; like it was all a dream-a coping mechanism-that he created to cope with what he saw in Tartarus.

"Besides, Hazel would kill me if she ever found out what I do to you when you sleep here," Leo continued. Nico giggled softly.

"I won't let her. I'm the only one allowed to kill you." Leo returned the chuckle now.

He pressed their lips together softly, gently first. He didn't want to push Nico too far unless the perpetual 13 year old wanted to. And Nico very much wanted to, by the little mewling noises he was making where any indication. He grabbed the front of his shirt, his body flushed tight against him. Leo lapped at the Death demigod's lips, begging for entrance. Nico happily obliged and moaned at the taste and feel of his tongue. Leo's hands were roaming all over his body, touching his body, his neck, hair, face. Leo moved his mouth towards his neck and latched on, greedily sucking the pale flesh.

Nico threw his head back, allowing him more access. While his mouth was busy, his hand was busy pushing his shirt upwards and tweaking one of Nico's nipples and the noises the boy made went straight to groin. He bit down on his neck hard enough to leave a mark. Nico gave a strangled cry while Leo looked in satisfaction at the mark. It was a sign that Nico was his and no one else's; he was the only one allowed to see the boy in such an intimate way. Leo moved his mouth even more south, mouth latching on to a free nipple. Nico clutched to him desperately. Tongue swirling around the bud, he gently scraped his teeth across it until Nico was no longer making coherent sentences-just guttural noises and his name. Satisfied, Leo moved to the next nipple, repeating the same action. Nico, by now, was going mad. Arched inward to Leo's ministrations, he was bucking his hips madly, trying to gain some form of friction on his painfully tight jeans.

Leo decided that enough was enough. He finished taking Nico's shirt and bomber jacket off, and repeated the action with his own shirt. Pushing the boy onto his bed, he had a nice view of Nico's thin, lithe body, arms spread around his head. Leo smirked at the sight; the boy looked totally and utterly debauched. While he was busy tugging the boy's jeans off (after he took of his of course), Nico managed to wrap his arms around him. Looking into his face, Nico spoke two words that sent Leo into frenzy.

"Fuck me."

Leo didn't need to be told twice. Taking out a bottle of lube (he ran out of condoms a few days ago), Leo poured a good deal of the cold lubricant onto his finger. When he felt there was enough, he pushed one finger into Nico's hole. The boy groaned at the sensation. While this wasn't their first time, it still stung a bit. Sliding his mid-finger in and out to get him used to it, Leo risked a second. Nico arched his back, eyes closed shut; Leo licked his lips. Now scissoring the boy, he plunged a third finger into him. Nico fisted the sheets and started cry out.

"Oh Gods, Leo please, I-I, gods, please, Leo please!" Leo chuckled and pulled all three fingers out. Nico cried at the loss, the tears forming in the corner of his eyes.

Soon Leo's tongue entered him and Nico couldn't help the hiss of pleasure escaping him lips. He could practically feel the smirk on the Latino. Coming back up, he planted a kiss and a bite on the inside of his thigh, right next to his dick. Nico mewled. Sitting back up, Leo pulled him onto him so that Nico was straddling him again. Nico instantly understood and lined himself with Leo's cock before spearing himself on him. With a cry, Nico threw his head back, giving Leo the perfect opportunity to mar that gorgeous neck even more.

Nico whimpered and put his forehead onto his shoulder. Shaking his hips, he started to cry out Leo's name over and over, like a mantra. Putting all his weight onto Leo's shoulders via his arms, Nico was basically fucking himself onto Leo's cock. Snapping his hips upwards at just the right moment, Leo brushed Nico's prostate, causing the boy to scream loudly. Leo silenced him with his mouth, but it was too late; the damage was done.

The sound of boots rushing toward the door could be heard but Nico couldn't bring himself to care. Because it felt too good, Leo inside of him, hitting that one bundle of nerves until he was seeing stars and couldn't tell up from down and left from right. Leo was in a similar place, groaning obscenities as he snapped his hips up, loving the feeling of Nico's tight, wet heat.

The door flew open, "Are you guy ok, I heard- HOLY FUCKING SHIT!" Jason Grace just got a clear view of his best friend fucking his other friend's kid brother's brains out. AND THEY WEREN'T STOPPING! Nico kept riding Leo, so close to his climax that he could taste it on his lips.

Leo shouted at him to "Get the fuck out!" and threw a pillow at him in emphasis. Jason immediately closed the door just in time. He felt like his eyes were bleeding. From the other side of the door Jason had the unfortunate luck of Nico moaning out to Leo that his "cock felt so good!" He scrambled up the stairs and away from the realization that neither Nico nor Leo was 100% straight.

Back on deck, everyone anxiously waited for Jason. Upon his scared, pale complexion, everyone assumed the worst.

"Is my brother ok!" Hazel asked shrilly. When Jason made no move to speak she tried going to downstairs to see for herself. The others looked like they were going to follow. Jason snapped out of it.

"No wait, Hazel you can't go down there!"

"And why not!"

"Because Leo and Nico are having SEX!" Jason burst out.

Everyone froze.

"WHAT THE-"

"-FUCK YES LEO!" Nico cried out as he came messily all over his chest.

Leo rutted his hips a few more times before cuming inside of him, face buried in Nico's neck. They just stayed there, coming down from their high and trying to catch their breaths. Nico swept his fingers into Leo's hair, petting the now exhausted demigod. Leo just placed a kiss on his shoulder in return.

_"Te amo,"_he murmured against his skin.

"I love you too," Nico whispered back. With a groan, he forced himself to unsheathe himself from Leo, but stayed when he wouldn't let him out of his embrace.

"Jason is going to tell them all. Coach Hedge isn't going to like this," Nico whispered after some pause. Leo had yet to get out of his hiding place in Nico's neck and shoulder, but he did now.

"Well then, they're all going to get used to it, because I ain't ever going to give you up,_ mi cielo. Te voy amar a usted hasta la día que yo muero." _[..., my sky. I'm going yo love you until the day I die. Terms like my sky, heaven, heart, etc., are terms of endearment used by Hispanics.]

Nico looked like he was going to cry; "I hope that day never comes so you'll love me forever."

Leo wiped a stray tear, "I will love you forever, even after death, because not even the gods can take away true love."

Nico kissed him sharply, trying to convey all his emotion into it. Leo seemed to understand because he just hugged him fiercely, as if he could disappear just like that.

On the other side of the door, Hazel caught the end of that conversation and decided not to interrupt. It would seem that both demigods were sincere enough. Of course that wasn't going to stop her from giving Leo that tongue lashing of his life later. She walked back upstairs with a minute smile.

~Fin~

**A/N: Thanks for enjoying this little oneshot (no, it's a multishot now). I wrote this at like 4 or 5 in the morning on my phone. It's unbeta'd, so there might a few grammatical errors, especially in the Spanish. Despite being Hispanic myself, AND able to understand it nearly 100% of the time (as well as speak it about 80% well); grammar in Spanish has never been my forte because I worry too much over wording choice. I blame the writer in me. *Laughs* Hope y'all like this!**


	2. Reactions

**Afterlife **By: Lady-Chan101

**Summary: **Because sometimes only the feel of your partners skin can remind you that you're alive when everything around you keeps dying. Now including a Bonus Chapter: Reactions.

**A/N: **Because the idea of a reaction from Leo and Nico sleeping with each other is just too delicious to pass up. We all know Hazel would do anything to protect her family. Including punching some faces. Again, this was written at 3:33 AM without a Beta (GO INSOMNIA!), so try not to complain too harshly about any mistakes. Thank you.

**Disclaimer: Now really, do I look like I own this?**

**Warning: Mentions of eye twitching, gayness, and protective siblings. ALSO ATTACK OF THE FLUFFY ANGST (after sex of course)!**

_**Language Key:**_

English [pretty obvious, no?]

_Spanish _[anywhere, translations will be provided in my A/N's]

'_Thoughts' _[in English]

'Thoughts in Spanish' [same as above]

On with the story:

**Chapter Two: Reactions or ****What Happens When You Don't Tell Hazel that You're Dating Leo Valdez:**

"WHAT IN HOLY HERA WHERE YOU TWO THINKING?!" Hazel barked at them, palm slamming down at the wooden table in the lounge room. Leo rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly and Nico had the decency to look embarrassed, face flushed red. Leo thought he looked cute, but he didn't think his commentary would be appreciated at the moment. Breathing deeply, Hazel pinched the bridge of her nose.

"You have two minutes; how long?" she growled. The rest of the crew was a bit uneasy; they never saw Hazel this _pissed! _Currently Jason was in a corner, muttering into Piper's arms about the horrors he saw. He was also nursing a black eye when he tried to stop Hazel from going downstairs after he told her the going-ons of those two. Frank was the only one who dared to stand next to her, and he seemed to teeter uneasily. Coach Hedge just looked like he wanted to use corporal punishment—preferably with his baseball bat.

"Since camp," Leo supplied. Jason sobbed even louder into Piper's arms, now imagining that his friend was having gay butt sex since then. The images were still too fresh in his mind. Hazel turned her sharp gaze towards Nico, who fidgeted under the scrutiny.

"And was that the first…" she let the question hang in the air, unable to bring herself to fully finish.

"No," Nico chocked out; for some reason, she was striking a fear within him that was palpable.

"Oh Lordy!" she exclaimed, flopping onto a nearby chair and fanning her aflame face with her hand. This was too much to take in all at once.

"Wha-why didn't you tell me?" The betrayal and disappointment was so apparent in her voice, that even the most clueless would be able to see it. Nico looked anywhere but her face, his eyes lingering on his hands.

"I-I didn't think you needed the distraction. I mean you had that mission in Alaska…" It was a weak excuse and he knew it, but it was better than having none. Leo decided to come his boyfriend's defense, but before he could even open his mouth, Hazel cut him off.

"Don't even think about it Leo. I wanna hear it from Nico, not you." Leo wisely snapped his mouth shut. Hazel turned to her half brother, "Now Nico, why don't you tell me everything." Piper knew that Hazel couldn't use charmspeak, but she had the sudden urge to spill her deepest, darkest secrets to her. Nico's eyes widened and he scrambled to come up with an acceptable answer.

"I, ugh, well, uh, you see—"

"I'm waiting." Now even Coach Hedge looked apprehensively at Hazel, as if she was going to hang them from their fingertips with hooks.

"It just happened ok! It's not like I meant to fall in love with the guy ok. We just started talking and one thing led to another and now we're dating ok! Happy now?" he shouted, eyes fixed on the floor. Hazel grinned smugly, seemingly accepting his answer.

"Immensely! Now, from now on you're sleeping with me. No more funny business ok? And your alone time with each other is going to be limited. Look what you did to Jason, we don't want another repeat!" Hazel stated firmly. Nico's eyes widened once more and Leo looked like he was going to cry. Hedge smirked and decided to give his two cents.

"If I see you two doing anything more than hand holding, then it's the baseball bat for you!" Even Frank felt bad for them, but decided it would be for the best if he kept quiet. You do _not_ want an angry Hazel directed at you. Piper would've come to their defense (to a certain extent that it), but she was too busy using her charmspeak to soothe Jason who was still in shock. He kept whispering how anything can go into that hole and not feel painful. Piper just petted her boyfriend's hair and told him to let it go. With her news delivered, Hazel gave everyone a wide smile and told them to get back to work. That involved Leo going into the engine room to work his magic whilst both Nico and Hazel continued their conversation elsewhere.

Outside the break room, Frank turned to Piper and Jason (who still looked a little pale, but normal), and asked the question on everyone's mind. "How the gods is Leo gay?" Piper just shrugged and Jason lost a bit more color to his face.

"Maybe he's not gay, maybe he's bi," she supplied. It seemed acceptable enough. Said Repair Boy wouldn't see his little Italian boyfriend until later that night.

~L/N~

Working on some scrap metal on his desk, Leo felt a pair of thin arms wrap themselves around his neck, and he gave a jump of fright. A warm breath tickled his ear with a giggle. Leo turned around (swirly office chairs were the best!) to find Nico with a carefree smile on his lips. He was wearing only a night shirt that was several sizes too big, showing of his pale shoulders, and a bit too high cut, giving Leo the best view to his milky white thighs and scrap of cloth he called underwear. The boy was a complete and utter tease. Granted, it was more than his black boxers, but still, how could he expect him to keep a straight head when he looked so utterly _sinful._

"Did I scare you, love?" he chortled. He climbed on top of Leo for a second time in the day and swung his arms around his neck. Yup, a total tease.

"Holy mother of Zeus Nico, I thought you were your sister ready to slit my throat for sleeping with you!" Nico laughed quietly again.

"I told you, I'm the only one allowed to kill you," he murmured, hands cupping Leo's face. Leo's hands instinctively wound themselves around his waist.

"Hmm is that so?" he whispered back, hands already playing with skin and his mouth marking that gorgeous, pale neck. Thank the gods that Nico's bomber jacket had covered his previous hickey, or Hazel would've freaked even more.

"How did you even sneak out here anyways?" he continued from the other side of Nico's neck, giving him a particularly large love bite.

"S-shadow, ah, travel," he managed to moan out, already rocking his hips for friction.

"I forgot you could that," his breath tickled Nico's skin and he couldn't help another giggle slip out. Leo always knew how to make him smile, even when he had no more reasons to do so. As such, the Italian demigod decided to treat his boyfriend just this once. He slipped out of his embrace and Leo looked both confused and a tad hurt. That is, until Nico got on his knees in front of him; Leo's eyes widened in immediate understanding. Slipping his thin fingers around Leo's tented boxers, Nico pulled them down. Grabbing his semi-erect cock, he slowly stroked him to full hardness, admiring the length of his boyfriend.

And then the real teasing began. Grinning madly, Nico licked his cock from the base up, tongue flicking the head, lapping up the beads of pre-cum. Leo threw out a muffled groan and refrained from making too much noise or movement. He kissed it from the side, looking up at Leo's through half lidded, lust blown eyes. Swirling his tongue around the head, he took him fully in his mouth and began to suck. One hand was dedicated to stroking him as much as possible while the other was used as balance against his thighs. Leo fisted his hands into Nico's soft black-brown hair; the only thing from completely fucking his mouth was his hand on his hip/thigh. Nico hummed at in contentment as he took his free hand to stroke himself off. The vibrations sent waves of ecstasy through Leo and he felt himself on the edge.

"F-fuck Nico, so fucking close. Gods you're so good. Mmf, just like that now."

Nico enthusiastically continued, picking up the pace and bobbing his head. He dragged his teeth lightly against Leo's foreskin, tongue continuously flicking the head. If Leo wasn't already on the edge, he was now. He moaned madly and rutted his hips, his fingers threaded in Nico's hair forcing him downwards. He only had seconds left.

"Shit Nico, I'm going to—gah!" Leo spurted into Nico's mouth, who surprisingly swallowed most of it. He came soon afterwards, and he coated the floor and his shirt with his cum. Some of it splattered across his face, but he wiped his fingers across the sticky white substance and licked it clean. Getting back up, he shakily crawled on top of a spent Leo.

"That," he gasped out breathlessly, "was a onetime deal Leo Valdez."

"Best onetime deal ever," he said, equally breathless. With what little left over energy he had, he carried Nico to his bed where he dropped him unceremoniously before collapsing on top of the pale boy. He pulled Nico's shirt off, who was too tired to complain, and threw it across the room with his boxers. His underwear was next, so that both boys were completely naked. Kissing Nico, he tasted his own cum and his spent cock twitched in recognition. He broke apart with a smile and rolled over to his side, pulling the Italian closer.

"I love you," he whispered, hand on Nico's cheek. Nico smiled, and that was answer enough.

'Hijuela, ¿qué hiso para garrar tan hermoso un novio?' he thought idly. ['Jesus, what did I do to get such a beautiful boyfriend?']

Here was a guy who was so gorgeous as well as smart and brave. And him? He was just the Repair Boy. But they were both so broken. Terribly and utterly shattered and broken. But maybe that's why they were perfect each other. Because two broken halves make a whole. Kissing his forehead, Leo held Nico tight in his arms. Nico didn't fight it because he knew. He knew that his boyfriend needed to make sure he was still there. That he wasn't going to leave him, disappear forever, like a dream right about when you wake up. Because it happened before, when he got stuck in Tartarus, and Leo was miserable when he was gone. Nico was his other half, no doubt about it. He was his broken, gorgeous half. The only organic life form he could understand. And he was Repair Boy, a cursed Hephaestus child who was going to try to fix them both.

"_Prométame algo Nico." _["Promise me something Nico."]

"Anything love, what is it?"

"Never leave me."

"I wouldn't even dream of it." With his mind and heart at ease, Leo was able to sleep peacefully with Nico in his arms.

~L/N~

The next morning was hell. Hazel saw that Nico wasn't in the room with her, and assumed correctly when she went to Leo's room. Her screeching voice about indecency and idiotic boys could be heard throughout Argo II. Who knew Hazel had a good arm; Leo's head hurt from the bump on his head.

**A/N: OMG, THIS WHOLE THING TOOK LIKE 2 HOURS. I CAN'T EVEN! But yes, enjoy this crap. I know they're all a bit OOC, especially Hedge and Hazel, but it's my fic and I already told y'all that this is quasi-AU if squint.**

**EDIT: Now a multishot. It's technically under complete, even though it's not. So please follow if you want to get the updates whenever I get to them.**


	3. American Pie

**Afterlife **By: Lady-Chan101

**Summary:** Because sometimes only the feel of your partners skin can remind you that you're alive when everything around you keeps dying.

**A/N: **Established Lico (since the fandom wouldn't decide I did for them, you're welcome) AKA Leo/Nico; because there isn't enough of it on this site. So anyways, I said "Fuck it!" and made this a multishot because I can and because I feel like it. It'll technically be under complete because I don't know how many chapters this will be and I'm going to purposely leave each ending ambiguous enough so that y'all can end it wherever you want. Like an RPG with all those multiple endings and the True Ending will be the ACTUAL FINAL chapter (or the first one; however you wanna look at it). On a side note, I'll be putting my interpretations of Tartarus and what Nico experienced in this chapter. If anyone's reading this after The House of Hades comes out, then I'm sorry if I got it completely wrong but this is my AU and I do what I want. It's completely loosely based off of Purgatory and Hell from _Supernatural_.

Shout out to CrazyDraineFan, Squishy Pencil, AlySophie, Otaku-Taco, XMistressChaosx, and gkpudding for fave-ing, reviewing, or following. Y'all are the only reason why I'm even continuing this crazy ride of a fanfic. That and my friend threatened to run me over with his wheelchair if I didn't. (_Fuck you David! Just 'cause you fanfic authors don't update don't mean you have to take it out on me!_)

**Disclaimer: If I prayed really hard, do you think God would give them to me?**

**Warning: **Now we all know that we all came here for that delicious boy sex (even though this chappie won't have it-I mean wha?); because hetero sex is overrated anyways and I quite like my gay (or lesbian) sex. There's going to be angst (it's my fuel), cursing (because I completely forgot how to speak without saying fuck every 5 seconds), overprotective siblings (come on, Overprotective!Hazel is the _best!_), and just plain Mabelness (it's where I be me and it is weird).

_**Language Key:**_

English [pretty obvious, no?]

_Spanish_[anywhere, translations will be provided in my A/N's]

'_Thoughts'_[in English]

'Thoughts in Spanish' [same as above]

On with the story:

**Chapter 3: American Pie**

Leo's head was throbbing. Not only did Hazel manage to throw a book squarely on his head, but Coach Hedge wasn't kidding him when he said he would use the baseball bat. Nico got out of it fairly unscathed because apparently he was "swept up by emotions and seduced by Leo to the point he couldn't say no." Nico had readily agreed if it meant saving him from a well deserved slap behind the head and Coach Hedge's baseball wrath. But it also meant that their alone time was cut down to a minute "just in case you decide to pull a fast one!"

Leo frowned, and glanced at Festus who seemed to be clicking and groaning in sympathy. It seemed that even after finding love with the small son of Hades, the gods couldn't let him in peace. Clutching his hands in fists, he almost didn't notice his hands were on fire until he felt a tap on his shoulder and a voice telling him that his hands were, indeed, on fire. He spun around, surprised and a little pissed that he was so easily caught off guard like that. It was Piper, and the concern on her face was pretty evident.

"Hey Leo, you ok? You seem pretty angsty," she said with a knowing look.

Leo pouted, not wanting to talk about his emotions to the charm speaker. He spent his whole life bottling his emotions, running away from them. It was the only way he felt better. Running could be surprisingly freeing. But Piper wasn't having any of that.

"Leo, tell me what's wrong," she used charm speak on him, and he was compelled to answer. He struggled with himself for a moment. He didn't want to answer, and even if he did, he didn't know how to form the words to properly explain himself. But Piper was pretty damn patient and gently prodded him until he spoke up.

"I-I'm just tired; tired of it all. Man, it's like we can never catch a break," he managed to choke out. It was hard to put his worry, his fear, his _disillusionment_, into a sentence. He wondered if it was even worth it. There was always going to be another Great Prophecy, another Great War, another problem with the gods. And he didn't want to live his life worrying over that. He just wanted to be with Nico. Somehow, Piper understood all of it. Maybe because she was naturally intuitive; or maybe it was because they were pretty damn good friends. He didn't know. But she did. And that was pretty good.

"Don't worry Leo, it'll work out. It always does. It's just how the Universe works; it's equilibrium." Leo nodded but he was a bit unsure if he could accept such a ready and flippant answer. She smiled lightly and patted his shoulder.

"Don't brood Leo, it doesn't suit you," she remarked lightly, already walking away. Leo just shook, unable to help a small chuckle escape. Sometimes Piper was too good that they gave credit for.

~L/N~

Nico was currently getting a tongue lashing of the lifetime from Hazel. Apparently she felt that is was her duty to show Nico the decency of celibacy. According to her, the 21st century and a one Leo Valdez has corrupted and seduced him into forgetting the values that their parents had instilled. In other words, keep it in your goddamn pants until you got a ring and a certificate from the state. Nico wanted to bang his head on a wall but managed the stoic look on his face that people were accustomed to now. It wasn't that Nico was loose or a slut. He had morals and he felt the burning hot shame that others felt. But with Leo it was vastly different. He had lost his virginity to him and had been the only one he slept with so far. Leo made him forget. Forget the numb pain of losing Bianca; forget how he's a kid out of time; forget how alone he is; forget the horrors of Tartarus. It felt good to forget. He much rather have the hot touch of a lovers fingers and mouth than a numbing cold sensation of endless pain. There was no grey area; at least not now. Hazel stared hard at her younger half brother. While physically they looked different, she could understand the feeling of isolation and confusion. Being dead and brought back to life does that a person. She sighed, knowing that it wasn't so much the fact that they were sleeping together (ok maybe that WAS a bit weird), but more so that she was afraid that they would get hurt. She couldn't bear it if both her brother and friend were grieving because of each other. They'd expect her to pick sides, and she knew she'd have to pick Nico.

"Just, ah, just be careful Nico," she said softly.

He nodded, unable to put thoughts into words. His head ached too much and he needed to rest. Suppressing a yawn, he made his way to the bunks, and slipped into Leo's, knowing no one would be down there for awhile and would be generally undisturbed. His bed was still mussed from last night (Leo was _not _the type to clean up), so with a roll of his eyes he quickly tidied up and burrowed under the covers. His head was throbbing by now, but Nico forced his eyes shut, hoping the pain would subside. It didn't.

Behind the curtains of his eyes, Nico saw an endless expanse of fire. He saw monsters and olden gods destroying each other in horrific manner, the damned where chained or being ripped to shreds, and the landscape was non-existential, an endless ravine where only shrubbery and rocks made its home amongst the blood and gore of anyone stupid enough to fall prey to some monster. Nico was currently hiding in a crack in the ravine, unable to avert his eyes as he saw a minotaur-esque gorge upon the innards of a smaller, serpentine creature. It roared and shook its' head when the creature was just a bloody skin and sniffed the air for its next meal. Pawing the ground, it stared directly at the crag where Nico was hiding behind and charged.

Nico woke with a scream tearing at his throat. Instantly a pair of arms wrapped around him, pulling him into a tight embrace. He inhaled the familiar scent of Leo, and started to cry. It was one of the few times that he let his composure fall, but Leo was the only one in the room, and he needed to remind himself that he wasn't in Tartarus anymore, he didn't need to stifle any noises he made in fear that he would get caught. That it was ok to be human for a second. So he cried. He cried for those fear-filled first nights, for the monsters always on his trail, for the creatures he had to kill and were killed for him, he cried because it felt good to cry. Throughout it all, Leo just held him close, running soothing fingers through his hair. He didn't lie and told him that it was all going to be alright, that it would get better, that he was ok or fine, that he could forget it now. No, he the only thing he could say that mattered at all was the same thing he's been telling Nico since the boy was freed from the giants back in Rome.

"Shh, you're out now. You're here. You're alive. I've got you now; I won't let you be taken away again. Shh, you're safe for now."

Nico slowly quieted down, but didn't stop clutching the front of Leo's shirt. His fingers were stuck in a vice-like grip, and Leo had to gently pry them off. Once free, he kissed his fingers and hands gently, moving his way up to his neck, and finally reaching his face. He kissed his forehead, and went back down to his lips, where he hovered for a second before giving him a chaste kiss. Putting their foreheads together, Leo wiped some stray tears on Nico's face. He offered the Italian a small smile, and he gave back a slight choked off chuckle.

"You tired?"

Nico nodded, not trusting himself yet to speak. Leo gave a half snort half sigh, and brought the covers over them as Nico burrowed himself into his chest. In the darkness, it was easy to believe that they were safe; to pretend that they were two normal teenagers who had two parents that cared for them and boring lives were the biggest challenge is getting good grades. But the illusion would quickly fade when the morning came. But for now Nico could pretend; could believe in that sham of a life. Intertwined in each other's arms and legs, Nico managed to fall into a dreamless sleep. It still seemed that the only time he could get a good night's worth of sleep was when Leo was with him. He just hoped he never left.

**A/N: Readers: WHAT, NO SEXY TIMEZ? *Flips table or whatever you're reading this on.***

**Me: *Ducks random objects* SHUT UP BITCH, THIS IS MY FIC AND I DO WHATEVER THE FUCK I WANT!**

**Readers: *RAGE!* WE WANT TEH SEX!**

**Me: Ya well this is what happens when I start this is at 11 PM and finish this at 1 AM. You get plot and angst and crack. Get the fuck over it!**

**Anywhores, on a side note I have seen Rise of the Guardians and now ship all the ships (as per usual) and I'll prolly be on my RotG kicks soon enough. Hope you enjoyed this disgusting piece of crap that I try to pass of a chapter. Till next time sweeties~!**

**EDIT: I totally forgot to put this here; Chapter Titles are always song names unless it's completely obvious that they're not. This one is** _American Pie_ **by Don McLain 'cause that's a sad ass song and I love it.**


	4. Little Piece of Heaven

**Afterlife **By: Lady-Chan101

**Summary: **Because sometimes only the feel of your partners skin can remind you that you're alive when everything around you keeps dying.

**A/N: **Established Lico (since the fandom wouldn't decide I did for them; you're welcome) AKA Leo/Nico; because there isn't enough of it on this site.

**HAPPY BELATED HOLIDAYS DARLINGS~!** I AM SO SORRY YOU HAD TO WAIT FOR THIS CRAP! ;0; I BLAME MANGA AND MY OTAKU LIFESTYLE OK! That and parts of this chapter got deleted so I had to rewrite the ending right when I was almost done. Ugh. But to make it up for you, I'll be posting a bonus chapter soon that explains how Nico and Leo started dating. Aww yeah,

Also, I'm not sure if you guys noticed, but each chapter takes place in the span of a whole day, each one after the next, beginning in the morning, and ending at night. So let's say Chapter One is Monday, Two is Tuesday, Three is Wednesday, and so on. I'm only pointing this out because there will be a few times when there is going to be a time jump (like right now), but always assume that it's the next day.

**Disclaimer: Bwuahahahaha, do I look like I own this?**

**Warning: Pregnant Boys is all I have to warn for you guys. And also OOC Hedge 'cause he's so fucking hard to write. RAWR!**

_**Language Key:**_

English [pretty obvious, no?]

_Spanish _[anywhere, translations will be provided in my A/N's]

'_Thoughts' _[in English]

'Thoughts in Spanish' [same as above]

On with the story:

**Chapter Four: Little Piece of Heaven**

_And when I think of all the places I just don't belong_

_I've come to grips with life and realize this is going too far_

_I don't belong here, we gotta move on dear_

_Escape from this afterlife_

_'Cause this time I'm right to move on and on_

_Far away from here_

Nico woke up, feeling groggy and cold. Leo must've woken up earlier and slipped put quietly so as not to wake him up. He smiled lightly at the thoughtfulness of his boyfriend. Stretching, he grabbed a pair of jeans to put on, but when he tried to button it up, he found that he couldn't. His belly was slightly swollen, so he had to suck in his gut just to even force the button in. He grimaced at how tight the pants had become and when he looked at himself in the mirror, he did in fact looked as if he packed a few pounds where his once flat abdomen lied. Nico pouted, unhappy that he gained so much weight. Hazel's constant need to feed him combined with lack of any physical exertion caused his current state. Shaking his head for worrying over a few pounds, he quickly pulled a dark shirt over himself and his trademark aviator bomber jacket. Wrinkling his nose at the mess of Leo's room, he quickly tidied up before putting on some shoes (Chuck Taylor's converse—you can never go wrong with a good pair of Chuck's) and slipped out of the room.

It's been two months since Jason and the rest of the crew found out that him and Leo were together and they slowly had come to accept it. Hazel still got pissed off if she felt that the two did anything "immoral", but generally gave them her blessing. Of course, she had pulled Leo to the side and told him that if he broke her brother's heart, she was going to personally castrate him with a pair of rusty pliers and a blunt knife. Coach Hedge had apparently given his consent on the matter; he already taken enough of a liking to the small son of Hades that he felt like an uncle to him. Nico had laughed when Leo told him what his half sister's threat was and said that he was never going to break his heart, so there was no need to worry.

He hummed happily as he made his way to the kitchen area where he knew Hazel would have some overtly fattening food to compensate the months he went without eating. She fussed so much over him, it reminded him of Bianca, who always worried over her brother up until Camp Half-Blood, where she had known he would've been taken care of. Of course that backfired when people found out who his godly parent was and how weird he could be. But Hazel didn't seem to care and neither did Leo and those two were the only ones that truly mattered. And Percy of course, but his friend/older brother type had been sucked into Tartarus and would go through the hell Nico barely had escaped. ...Great, now he was depressed, damnit! So that's how Hazel found him when entered the kitchen; moody, depressed, frowning at anything that so much as dared breathe. She tutted at his miserable mood and pushed a plate of bacon and eggs to him.

Suddenly the scent of the bacon hit him and he felt nauseous. Running towards the sink, he vomited the near empty contents of his stomach until he was dry heaving and making pitiful retching noises. Hazel had stared at him in wide eyed shock before running to his side, holding his hair up and patting his back.

"Oh gods Nico, what's wrong?" she asked worriedly.

"The bacon" he managed weakly. He could still smell it from the sink and he dry heaved once more.

"The bacon?" she parroted. She took an experimental whiff and bit off the offending strip of meat and turned to Nico when it came out clean. "It's perfectly fine," she whispered, a tinge of fear invading her eyes. What could have happened Nico that perfectly good bacon made him sick? There was no way that he could just suddenly puke for no apparent reason. That was it, Hazel was going to take him to the medic bay and get to the bottom of this. She heaved him up while he gave a small whimper and was able to hold him up. Nico clutched onto Hazel for dear life. He felt so weak in the knees, unable to support himself at all. Luckily he wasn't throwing up anymore, but now he felt light headed, like he would faint and collapse any moment, which wasn't so far off from the truth actually. Through some stroke of miracle, they manage to get there without any misdeeds happening. But Nico was barely making it by then, and ha blacked out the moment he hit the medic cot. Worried and unsure what to do, Hazel shouted for the others to get down quick, lest they face her wrath for disobeying and not helping.

Leo was the first one to burst through, covered in grease, sweat, and other unnamable but equally dirty fluids. When later asked what he was doing, he would say he was working on some pretty heavy duty engine work, but had dropped everything when he heard that Nico might be in even the tiniest amount of pain. Rushing to his side, the Latino boy hovered nervously over his clearly ailing (and maybe delusion, from the way he kept shouting at the bacon to shut up) boyfriend. Hedge, Piper, Jason, and Frank came through not long afterwards. They all crowded around the boy, but with a stern shout from Hazel, they gave him enough space, save for Leo, who was cooing over him, brushing his dark hair away from his sweat drenched face.

"We need to find out what the hell is going on," Piper murmured.

"Use the scanner then," Frank offered. Jason quickly brought down a flat sheet of glass and metal from a nearby crane-arm, like the type you would see in a dentist chair.

It was of Leo's own design. It was like a built in x-ray, thermometer, mammogram, diagnosis check, status giver, and computer thing all rolled in one. It was meant to detect internal injuries and poison that not even ambrosia and nectar could fix so that they could take care of it quickly. The machine blinked and beeped obnoxiously on a small adjacent screen. Hazel and Piper huddled over it, trying to make heads or tails of whatever they saw. Leo was getting annoyed; they were taking too long to the point that everyone but him had gone and check (he wouldn't dare leave Nico ever), and they were gawking over whatever they saw.

"Well, what the hell is it?" he snapped, looking at them derisively. Nico gave a whimper and Leo instantly turned to him, fussing like a mother hen.

"Leo, when was the last time you gave this thing a tune-up?" Piper asked apprehensively.

"It's not broken if that's what you're thinking!"

"Then why does it say he's pregnant!" Hazel yelled. Everyone winced, as if even suggesting such thoughts was against their very nature. Which, in a way, it was, seeing as men usually don't get pregnant. But hey, if Zeus can do it, so can you! …Maybe. Leo felt his eye twitch ever so slightly, but his face remained decisively neutral.

"I am surprised that you are surprised. We _are_ children of the Greek and Roman gods, so wouldn't it be possible for unexplained mythical pregnancies? I mean, look at Athena. There is nothing normal going around there." No one looked at him, and at least the decency to look sheepish.

"Bah, I should have known. The kid smelled too fertile," Hedge grumbled in his usual way, not the least perturbed by it all. Besides Leo, he had taken the whole mess pretty calmly, which is saying a lot. There was no look of sheepishness surprise, no grandeur shock of impossibility; he took it simply and purely.

"You mean you _knew!_" Hazel shrieked while Piper looked like she would intervene Hazel if she would attack the satyr. The boys shifted nervously, they were uncomfortable around pregnancy (as most men are), and the felt very self conscience of their presence. And now that there were loud angry females and calm satyrs that were usually violent, and friends that were not only gay but expecting, and yeah, they weren't ashamed to admit that they all but stammered out a baleful excuse and ran out of their like the devil was on their heels.

"I had my suspicions, but I never knew for certain," Hedge continued calmly. It was weird seeing him like this, but Leo thought maybe it was just a ploy to sooth the seething female. Again, Hazel's eyes twitched and Piper's eyes flickered nervously between the two, her hand clutching her dagger, afraid that she would have to intervene in the end.

"Then why didn't you say anything?!" her voice was now an octave higher than normally and she was up in Hedge's face.

"Because I thought you were protecting his chastity!"

"I didn't know his chastity needed protecting until two months ago!"

The two continued to have a screaming match as they got up in each other's face. It got to the point where Piper had to intervene. "That's enough! What's done is done. There is nothing we can do about it. What we need to figure out is how Nico got pregnant in the first place." Hazel and Hedge backed down, but she looked like she wanted to shank someone with a rusty fork.

"Oh I know how Nico got pregnant," Hazel muttered glaring laser beams at Leo, "it's because _this _one decided to lay with my brother!"

"Oh come on, how was I supposed to know he was going to get pregnant!"

"Enough!" Piper said, putting charmspeak into her voice. Nico stirred in his sleep and sat up, stretching languidly whilst rubbing his eyes.

"What time is it?" he warbled out, voice muffled from sleep. Leo thought he looked fucking adorable, but now was not the time.

"Just a little after 3," Leo responded; Nico gave him a sleepy smile as he took his small white ones into his calloused, dirty brown ones.

"Not to break up this little love fest or anything, but we really need to find out how Nico got pregnant," Piper said. Nico froze, all color draining from his face.

"P-pregnant?" he asked, unsure if he heard right. He felt like the world was falling underneath his feet. There was no way he could be pregnant, unless…

"It's curse base, is all I can tell you," Hedge said, scratching the side of his face. "I felt the initial magic pulsating around you, but I thought it was just residue form Tartarus. Guess I was wrong." Nico just nodded, unsure how to process everything. This was becoming too much too fast for him. Seeing his boyfriend about to breakdown, Leo turned to the others.

"You think you guys can…" he drifted off while gesturing them both. He was hoping that they would get the drift. Piper nodded and forced the other two to get the fuck out. Of course, it involved a good deal of charmspeak, but she managed. When the doors finally closed on them, Leo turned to Nico. He clutched him for dear life, inhaling the scent of motor oil, grease, metal, and the Tabasco sauce he gave Festus. He didn't mind the smell; it gave him comfort. Leo held him until he broke down, sobbing uncontrollably.

"Oh gods, w-what are we going to do? We can't have a baby. W-we're in the middle of a war!" he sobbed. Leo gripped him tightly.

"We'll manage, we'll find a way. I promise. I won't let anything happen to you or the baby."

They stayed like that for what seemed like hours. They didn't know what the future held for them, but they knew it wasn't going to be easy. There was a storm coming, and it was going to be a rough one. Leo wondered idly if they were even going to make it, but he pushed the thoughts out of his head. Right now Nico needed him, and he would be damned if he wasn't there for the one person he loved.

**A/N: OMFG I AM SO SORRY THAT THIS TOOK FOREVER TO REACH YOU GUYS. Ugh, it was so hard to write this, especially when my lifestyle makes me super busy. But yeah, to make it up I'll be writing a bonus chapter after this one that takes us back to when Leo was making the Argo II, and how he and Nico started dating. Also, to any of my followers who don't like m-preg (and I know a few of you don't, I stalk your profiles 'cause I'm a creep like that), I am sorry but this is my fic. I will **_**try **_**to make it as logical as possible, but we're dealing with a fandom that resides with the Greek gods. Logic flew out the window a long time ago. Anyways, hope y'all liked this chapter, especially since it took so long. *Laughs***

**EDIT: AGAIN, SORRY TO MENTION WHERE THE CHAP TITLE AND WHERE THE SONG/LYRICAL CLIP IS FROM. The title is from** _A Little Piece of Heaven_ **by Avenged Sevenfold; a band, that, in my headcanon, Nico totally listens to. The lyrical clip is from the song **_Afterlife_**, by the same band. And yes, that song was totally the inspiration for this fic. I was listening to it when I initially wrote it.**


	5. Time to Dance

**Afterlife **By: Lady-Cynic

**Summary: **Because sometimes only the feel of your partners skin can remind you that you're alive when everything around you keeps dying. Established Lico (since the fandom wouldn't decide I did for them; you're welcome) AKA Leo/Nico; because there isn't enough of it on this site.

**A/N: **WHY DO YOU GUYS LIKE THIS CRAP! Why? Is it the ship? My writing? The smut? It's the smut isn't it? The only other story to get this much attention is my very first fanfic, and even then you guys got that beat! 25 follows, 18 reviews, 19 faves, and a shit-ton views/hits. You guys make me freeze with shock and cry with joy—until David makes a sarcastic comment about how it's the originality of it all, or lack of thereof.

On a side note, the information that I got for the Argo II was from the Percy Jackson Wikia (just Google Argo 2). Since it's never told exactly _how _the Argo II flies, the way I describe it is just my own head-canon, based on what I learned physics and architecture/robotics. Please understand though that my knowledge is pretty limited, seeing as my area of expertise are buildings, not machines. I'm no Isaac Asimov here!

To **PlotWhats plot:** I am so honored that I inspired you to write, and thanks for loving this crap. XD See, I am so glad you love Overprotective!Hazel; she's so damn fun to write!

To **Guest:** Hell yeah I'll keep writing.

**Guest (2):** I understand if m-preg is hard to understand and illogical because, well, Nico's a boy, but this is the Greek gods we're talking about. If Zeus can do it, so can Nico. Besides, I'm giving a legitimate reason for why he got pregnant. As to why they should wear a condom other than to stop pregnancy, condoms are a good way to stop infections and STD's to pass. And since they're lubricated most of the time, it makes the first time easier and easier to slip inside in general. Remember, safe, sane, and consensual sex is good. But also remember abstinence is the only way to not get pregnant or an STD… I really need to stop reading my mom's preventive health pamphlets when I visit her work. .

**Friend (Guest #3): **Thanks; just thanks.

**To all my loyal fans, thanks for waiting; this one's for you.**

**Disclaimer: I wished upon a falling star, but it never happened.**

**Warning: FLUFF and knowledge of RR's side book "**_**The Demigod Diaries**_**", specifically the short story '**_Leo Valdez and the Quest for Buford_**'. This all takes place after the story happens.**

_**Language Key:**_

English [pretty obvious, no?]

_Spanish _[anywhere, translations will be provided in my A/N's]

'_Thoughts' _[in English (only in English speaking places]

'Thoughts in Spanish' [same as above]

On with the story:

**Chapter Five: Time to Dance**

Leo walked away from the campfire when the Apollo cabin wanted to do the Hokey Pokey, and was about to head over to Bunker 9 to fiddle with some schematics when he saw a figure slip right out of the shadows—literally! Frowning, he decided to check it out. Alabaster skin that gave off an unearthly glow, a petite frame hidden within the folds of a totally badass aviator's bomber jacket, black hair that looked soft to the touch, and—the figure turned—oh gods that face; whoever that person was, they looked way out of Leo's league. He fell in love instantly. Swallowing, he wondered if they were even mortal; he sure hoped so, it would be too weird if Leo fell in love with a god, no matter how minor they were.

The stunning being frowned (but it looked like a pout to Leo), and he found himself unable to breath at how _cute_ they looked. Before he knew what he was doing, Leo was speaking to the radiant creature that may or may not be a god that could smite his ass to kingdom come.

"You lost sunshine?" Damn, he sounded lame, even for him. The radiant being only raised his eyebrow at him.

"Do you know where Annabeth is?" they asked. Oh gods they had a beautiful voice. It was surprisingly neutral, but with a slight depth to it. Actually, it sounded slightly masculine. Oh shit, what if they were actually a he; the last time he was crushing on a guy, he had to run three states away. He snapped out of it long enough to reply to the beautiful creature.

"Uh, I think she went to bed in her bunk a while back; that or coming up with some schematics for the Argo II." The other frowned.

"Damn, I was hoping to talk to her…" he looked at Leo for a moment, as if he was weighing out some sort of pro/con's list. He hoped he made a good deal of pros. Despite the open-mindedness of the Greeks, being gay or bi wasn't actually something you shouted out on the top of your lungs.

"What's the Argo II?" Leo was a bit taken aback, but he was never one to give up a moment to talk about what he loved.

"It's our spanking hot war machine," Leo started. He then began to explain that it was a magical trireme with a celestial bronze hull, oars that could turn into spears, two repeating crossbows that could fire explosive bolts that could turn concrete into rubble in less than 5 seconds flat. To fly, the engines used a series of pistons that pushed enough force downwards to lift it upwards. Through the use of a kinetic energy recovery system, they didn't waste any energy, plus with the addition of magical bonuses, they were able to nullify the effects of gravity, causing the force they needed to push to be cut by 10. And of course, the icing on the cake, a celestial bronze figure head in the form Festus.

The radiant being just laughed at Leo's passion for his machinery. And wow, did his laughter sound extra beautiful to his ears or what?

"I'm sorry," he started, "it's just you sound like a mom talking about her kid winning some sort of champion prize." Leo sheepishly rubbed the back of his head, blushing at his own antics.

"Eheh, sorry 'bout that. Sometimes I get so into my mechanics that I forget not everyone understands what I'm even talking about, or if they even like it. Sorry," he said lamely. The radiant being just laughed some more.

"It's ok," he said with a chuckle. "I'm assuming that the Argo II is to rescue Percy."

"Uh, yeah," Leo answered awkwardly. The radiant being just nodded.

"I'm Nico di Angelo. Son of Hades," he said, hand outstretched. Yes, he was mortal! Leo mentally cheered. He shook his hand; it was small and soft and a tad bit cold, but his own where warm, so that was ok.

"Leo Valdez, Repair Boy at your service," he said with a flourishing bow.

Nico laughed once more, "Am I right in assuming that your dear old dad is Hephaestus?"

"What gave it away?" Leo chuckled.

"Well if it wasn't your enthusiastic relay on the your over glorified boat, then it has to be your cheesy self title."

"Ouch, you wound me. Didn't anyone teach you that little girls need to play nice," he mocked back. Nico's face flared up in a bright red fashion. He turned his head away and coughed slightly, before muttering something under his breath.

"_¿Que?" _[What?]

"I said … sorry…" Leo blinked in surprise.

"Uh, sure man. Apology accepted or whatever." Now it was Nico's turn to blink in surprise. The two paused in a tense moment, right before Leo let a loud bellow of laughter while Nico gave a barely muffled chuckle.

"Man, what was that even about?" Leo managed out between gasps of breath from all the laughter.

"I don't even know," Of course, that wasn't wholly true. Nico couldn't believe that he actually let his fear of rejection get to him, but he wasn't going to tell him that.

Leo turned to Nico.

"How about a do over," he said, hand outstretched for a shake. Nico's eyes widened a bit and he nodded, grasping his hands.

"Hi, I'm Leo Valdez, son of Hephaestus."

"N-Nico di Angelo, son of Hades." He was still a bit shocked. Most kids generally left him alone and ignored him once they found out who is dad was. The fear of death and all that it entails usually does that to you, especially when your dad is the Lord of Death. But here was some Hephaestus kid that seemed to actually want to be his friend. The only one that even remotely friendly to him was Percy. His heart gave a painful shudder as he remembered the missing Poseidon's son. Now was not the time for that.

"It's nice to meet ya Nico. What brings you to Camp Half-Blood at such dark and treacherous hours of the night?" Said boy smiled.

"I _was _going to talk to Annabeth, but since she's not here, I'm going to see if I can catch her tomorrow."

"Let me guess, it's got to do with this Percy guy." Whoever this Percy really was, he was sure damn popular. Leo idly wondered if the guy liked tacos and hydraulics systems.

"Yeah," Nico nodded and blushed. Leo instantly hated Percy. You don't talk about a person whom you're going to save and blush unless you feel some form of physical or emotional attraction to them. It didn't matter if Percy was a pretty awesome guy who was not only straight, but who had a girlfriend who was willing to do anything to get him back, that he was in the middle of some Roman camp that would probably kill him if they found out he was Greek and had no memory of his previous life. None of it mattered because there was a cute, blushing demigod in front of him that would probably never look at him because he was pining away at some guy who probably only viewed him as his little brother.

"Umm, well, thanks for at least saving me from looking for Annabeth," he said quietly, not making any move of leaving. Leo looked at him for a second longer; even if there was a chance, which there wasn't, he didn't think the other boy would want to take it. He seemed pretty hung up on Percy.

"Yeah, no prob. Take care I guess…" Leo forced himself to turn around; he didn't like that look of brokenness on the kid, the hopelessness of never having something you wanted badly. It was pretty depressing actually. Following the dusty trail back up to Bunker 9, Leo started to sing to himself.

"Like walking into a dream, so unlike what you've seen

So unsure but it seems, 'cause we've been waiting for you

Fallen into this place, just giving you a small taste

Of your afterlife here - so stay, you'll be back here soon anyway

I see a distant light—"

"You like Avenged Sevenfold?" Leo turned at the sound of Nico's outburst. His face had turned a shade of red that colored his whole face nicely.

"Yeah, they're pretty awesome." By now he turned completely so he was facing the other boy. He gave him his patented impish grin, and the red blush on that made its home on Nico's face deepened.

"Yeah… Um, y-you wanna…" by now Nico was flushed red, flustered as he tried to convey his words somehow. He fiddled with the sleeves of his bomber jacket, not looking Leo in the face.

"Sure." Nico looked up in surprise.

"W-what?"

"I said sure. Why not? It's Christmas, late at night, and I got nothing else to do but kill time." Nico gave him a hesitant half smile.

"Come one sunshine, I'm going to show you the Argo II; you're gonna love it." They didn't know what the future held for them, but for now, they can forget their worries with some shady eggnog and a badass boat.

**A/N: Too short I know, but it's just to show how they started out. I'm thinking of doing chapters like these that show their relationship **_**before**_** they started dating. I'm thinking for every 4 regular chapters, you get one flashback one. AND THANK YOU FOR STAYING WITH ME WHILE I WAS HAVING MY LITTLE BREAKDOWN EPISODE. Sorry the wait wasn't worth it. ;0; On several side notes, the song for this chapter title is **_Time to Dance _**by Panic! At the Disco (God, I love 'em). I'm almost caught up to Naruto, only 100 some chapters behind. . I also confessed to David (my friend), who has yet to say anything. Surprisingly, nothing awkward between us (except for like this 2 day grace period where it was absolute **_**hell**_**). I also don't hear the voices anymore; just some light whispering, but they're all pretty dead. I blame David. I now ship Alabaster/Claymore (from RR's son's story** _Son of Magic_**) as both a platonic father-son ship and a sexual one. Should I write a fic about them as well?**** I don't have much else to say except that ****we have now reached the point where nothing is planned and I'm pulling this out of my ass 100%.**** This is gonna be fun…**


End file.
